James Syhabout’s Rockridge restaurant gets a name: Box and Bells

James Syhabout in the kitchen at Hawker Fare, where he'll hold some Box & Bells pop-ups early next year. Photo: The Chronicle

More details have come to light surrounding James Syhabout‘s next Oakland restaurant, set in the former Somserset space in Rockridge space.

It will be named Box and Bells. Syhabout says that he and Benjamin Coe — who will be the chef at the new restaurant — stumbled upon the name on the line at Commis one night. They were just brainstorming their favorite established restaurant names, and “Box and Bells” popped up. They liked the way it sounds, its playful connotation, and the rest was history.

The concept is also crystallizing. Some of the early dishes and recipes they’re currently toying around with: Boiled Peanuts; Country Style Pork Terrine with Grilled Soda Bread; A Jar of Duck Liver Confit with a Spiced Sugar Aspic and Sherry; Potato Boxty with Salt Cod and Herbs; Fried Chicken with a Raw Oyster Mayonnaise; Crock Baked Beans; and a USDA Prime Aged Cote du Boeuf for Two with a Fricasse of Snails and Watercress Salad. Also: country ham.

“They’re the kinds of things we cook for staff meal, the things we like to eat and what we like to share,” says Syhabout of the menu ideas, adding that he wants to make Box and Bells the kind of place he can go to after a long shift at Commis and relax. Maybe you could even categorize it as a gastropub of sorts, though he points out that there aren’t many (if any) places in Oakland to get a fricasse of snails or oyster mayonnaise, on the late night side.

“I think a lot of industry people will appreciate it. It’s good grub and makes you want to have a cocktail and a beer.”

Construction permits are currently being finalized, but in the meantime, Syhabout and Coe are planning to do a series of Sunday night Box and Bells pop-ups at Hawker Fare (which is usually closed on Sundays). However, that won’t start until January or so, after the holiday rush. Stay tuned.

Box & Bells: 5912 College Avenue, between Chabot and Harwood, Oakland

· Previously: James Syhabout’s next Oakland restaurant will be in the former Somerset on College [Inside Scoop]